Cyprus News Agency: News in English (AM), 98-07-15

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] US - Cyprus - S300 - no-fly zone

[02] British support to Cyprus struggle

[03] Clerides - Madden - British envoy

[04] Canada - Turkey - Nuclear reactors

[05] Coup - Remembrance

[06] House of Representatives - Commemorative session

[07] Seleznyov - S-300 - Cyprus - Turkey

0900:CYPPRESS:01

[01] US - Cyprus - S300 - no-fly zone

In response to a related question, Bacon said "we have an envoy now in the area, talking to both Greek and Turkish officials".

He said that the issue will be on the agenda of the discussions the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Ismael Karadayi, who is visiting Washington, will have at the Pentagon, adding that "we have a high Turkish military figure visiting us this week, and I am sure that Cyprus will be a prime topic of conversation during that meeting".

Bacon said that the US did not fail to persuade the government of Cyprus to cancel the missile deal, saying that "it is a little misleading to say that the US has failed here. I think all of Europe wants to avoid a problem in Cyprus and all of Europe wants to prevent an arms race on the island of Cyprus".

The Pentagon Spokesman said that "the US and other countries have made it very clear that we do not think this is the right way to go, we think it is provocative, and we think there are better ways to resolve the dispute between the Greek side and the Turkish side".

The Cyprus government signed a contract with Russian manufacturers in January 1997 to purchase Russian-made surface-to-air missiles, in a bid to strengthen its air defence in case of a new Turkish offensive.

The Cyprus move was fully backed by Greece but Turkey, which occupies the island's northern third, reacted strongly, threatening to hit the missiles when installed.

On the issue of the no-fly zone, Bacon said that the US "does not support policing a no-fly zone over Cyprus. We do support a moratorium on provocative air flights. We do support a self policed no-fly zone over the area. But it is very difficult for any NATO country to get involved in enforcing a no-fly zone that involves other NATO countries".

When asked about comments made by the US Secretary of Defence last week, during his joint press conference with his Greek counterpart, under which the US is ready to explore the idea of a no-fly zone, Bacon said that the Secretary said "very specifically, when asked by you about no-fly zones, he said we are considering a variety of proposals to reduce tensions".

He pointed out that "among them is a no-fly zone proposal. What we have proposed specifically is a moratorium - sort of a voluntary, self-policing moratorium on air flights. That is a type of no-fly zone, yes".

Bacon also confirmed that the US is "looking at a variety of proposals".

He said that the US has now "an envoy from the Defence Department, and he may be travelling with a State Department official as well, visiting both Turkey and Greece even as we talk. He left late last week".

He added that "we talked to the Greek Defense Minister last week. We are talking to Turkish officials regularly. This is something that we are putting a lot of time and energy into", and stressed that "this dispute between Greece and Turkey has been going on for some time. Frequently long disputes are difficult to resolve quickly".

When Bacon was asked specifically about the possibility for the US to support a no-fly zone enforce by NATO or the UN, he said "we are looking at a variety of options, one of which could generally be called a no-fly zone. I want to disabuse people of the notion that we are likely to dispatch a lot of war planes to enforce a no-fly zone.

There may be other ways to monitor a no-fly zone, but we do not have in mind something that is similar to, say, Operation Southern Watch".

Meanwhile, at the White House news briefing yesterday, Spokesman Mike McCurry, asked about the reaction of President Bill Clinton to the letter originated recently by Angelo Tsakopoulos, and signed by many prominent Greek Americans, which criticised US policy on Cyprus, said that "we have received that letter".

He added that "we disagree with some of the characterisations of American policy contained in that letter" and pointed out that "the National Security Council is drafting for the President's benefit a response that we intend to send shortly".

However, he said that "the letter will certainly make clear that our Cyprus policy continues to be to make every effort to promote a peaceful resolution of the conflict that has divided that island for too long and to continue to use the diplomatic efforts of the United States to try to bring reconciliation".

Turkish troops have been occupying 37 per cent of Cyprus territory since 1974, in violation of repeated UN resolutions calling for their withdrawal.

CNA DA/RG/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1000:CYPPRESS:02

[02] British support to Cyprus struggle

The British officials expressed support for the struggle of the Cyprus people and stressed that no country, especially Turkey, has a right to veto Cyprus' accession to the European Union.

Regarding the Cyprus problem, they said that Britain and the United States could play a role in resolving the issue, due to their potential to exert pressure on Ankara.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of its territory.

In his speech, Smith said "there is hope" at this time, which "lies in using the instrument of Europe".

He stressed that "the Cyprus application for membership and Turkey's continued wish to become part of Europe, offer us the real levers in any real way at all to get some movement and we want to make sure that we use these levers we have, to make sure that we make it very clear that there can be no question whatsoever of Turkey becoming a member of or associated with the European Union, unless the Cyprus issue is settled".

Smith added that "there is a determination of my colleagues in the government to use those levers", pointing out that "the issue has gone on for too long and we have to do what we can to make sure we move faster towards this solution".

He also said that Foreign Secretary, Robin Cook, "is determined to do what the rest of the government is determined to do".

Also participating in the event were Cypriot High Commissioner in London, Michalis Attalides, and the President of the Cyprus National Federation of Great Britain, Charis Sophocledes, who thanked the MPs for their support in the Cyprus question.

Labour MP Tom Cox chaired the meeting held at the House of Commons.

CNA KT/RG/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1030:CYPPRESS:03

[03] Clerides - Madden - British envoy

Madden said Sir David, who is also Britain's special envoy on Cyprus, will discuss issues pertaining to the Cyprus problem, including the resumption of peace talks, Cyprus' European Union (EU) accession process and the government decision to purchase the S300 anti-aircraft missile system.

"Just because it's not possible at the moment to have a resumption of the intercommunal process it doesn't mean that it's not necessary to continue working for when a resumption is possible and to try and make a resumption possible," he said.

Asked if it is feasible to overcome the obstacles placed by Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who said he would not return to the negotiating table unless he gains recognition of his illegal regime unilaterally declared in the areas of Cyprus occupied by Turkey since 1974, Madden said efforts would continue.

"We shall continue, in coordination with others, and try to do our best to try and ensure that the UN process can be resumed with direct meetings," he said.

Denktash has also said he would not participate in negotiations unless Cyprus withholds its application for EU membership.

Madded expressed the view that "it is possible to envisage a resumption of direct talks and I hope we will be able to find the conditions that will make that possible", noting that "the Security Council has very recently reset the framework".

Invited to comment on press reports that Britain is promoting the "acknowledgement" of the existence of the regime in the Turkish-occupied areas, he said "we're not promoting any particular ideas at the moment".

"I don't think anyone has produced a definition of what the term 'acknowledgement' actually means," Madden added.

Referring to Hannay's visit on July 21-22, he said the Austrian presidency envoy will be discussing the resumption of talks, the EU process, the S300 and other issues.

He noted it is important for Sir David, who was also the British EU presidency representative, to visit the island during the Austrian presidency.

Madden refrained from commenting on press reports that there is a difference between Britain and Cyprus over the use of facilities at Troodos mountains.

"We have a communication facility on Troodos," he said, adding "I'm not prepared to comment on that question".

According to a recent report in the local press, the British have stepped up their security measures around their communications facilities in Troodos because they are carrying out work to put in new radar systems.

Britain has retained two sovereign military bases on the island, under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment of the Cyprus Republic.

CNA MA/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1040:CYPPRESS:04

[04] Canada - Turkey - Nuclear reactors

Toronto, Jul 15 (CNA) -- Canada continues to brush off concerns voiced by seismologists over earthquake activity in southern Turkey and remains keen on its bid to sell two CANDU 6 nuclear reactors to that country.

"The results of the geological and seismological investigation were reviewed by the International Atomic Agency and found to satisfy international and Canadian siting criteria for the safety of nuclear power plants," an official with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, told CNA.

Dexter Bishop said the site, Akkuyu Bay, is located in a remote area in the southern portion of Turkey and is licensed by the Turkish authorities for a nuclear power plant.

"Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. has said that a CANDU 6 reactor would withstand any of the earthquakes occurring in Turkey for the past 100 years, " he said.

But Karl Buckthought, President of Ottawa-based Earthquake Enterprises Inc. has said otherwise.

Quoted in the Ottawa Citizen, Buckthought said Akkuyu Bay is on a fault that makes it particularly susceptible to earthquakes.

"Turkey is notorious for being one of the most earthquake prone countries in the world," he said, adding that a major earthquake has occurred in Turkey every four years on average.

An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale hit the Turkish town of Adana on June 27, leaving hundreds dead and injured. Adana, on the southern coast of Turkey, is 180 km from Akkuyu Bay.

In 1993, Turkish seismologist Semih Yuceman of the Middle East Technical University in Ankara published a report which claimed that quakes of magnitude greater than 8.0 on the Richter scale are possible in the Akkuyu Bay region.

Buckthought said AECL is designing the reactor to withstand a 6.5 Richter earthquake, which is far weaker than an 8 Richter event. He also doubted the design could withstand a nearby earthquake even if it was of a significantly lower magnitude.

AECL is negotiating with Turkey to sell two reactors for Canadian $4 billion. The bid is backed by a Canadian $1.5 billion loan guarantee from the federal government. A European and an American company are also vying for the contract.

Bishop said it is expected Turkey will announce the preferred bidder in August, with contract negotiations to follow later in the year.

Asked why Canada is bidding to sell nuclear technology to a country with such a poor human rights record, Bishop skirted the issue, saying only that Turkey is a NATO ally, has "a very close relationship" with the European Union and that it is an emerging economy for Canadian exporters.

Last week, federal New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Alexa McDonough blasted the government for pursuing its reactor sale bid to Turkey, saying that Canada must withdraw its financial support for the potential sale.

"It is time the Liberal government rediscovered their lapsed moral convictions and withdrew their financial backing for this ill-fated project, " she said.

McDonough said Turkey is a poor candidate for nuclear technology because of its poor human rights record, a "virtual state of war" with its Kurdish minority and a long-standing dispute with Greece over Cyprus.

Alluding to the India's and Pakistan's recent nuclear explosions presumably using spent fuel from CANDU reactors, the federal NDP leader said the sale of civilian nuclear technology "can be perverted". But Turkey is not hiding the fact that it wants to develop a nuclear bomb.

In its annual report submitted last month to the Turkish National Assembly, the Turkish National Assembly said nuclear technology "makes our country honourable and strong, because nuclear technology consists of strategic and economic components". The word "strategic" can often be a code word referring to military strength.

Bishop dismissed the possibility that Turkey wants to develop nuclear weapons, by saying that it has become party to the Treaty on the Non- Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and accepted fullscope International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

"This means that Turkey has made the commitment not to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices," he said.

CNA MH/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1240:CYPPRESS:05

[05] Coup - Remembrance

"We must all realise that the only guarantee which could be useful for our future, is our dedication to democratic principles," President Glafcos Clerides stressed today.

Sirens wailed at 0820 local time (0520 GMT), the exact time the military coup began with an attack against the Presidential Palace, in Nicosia.

Archbishop Makarios, who at the moment was meeting with children from Egypt on a visit to Cyprus, escaped unhurt.

President Clerides and the political and military leadership attended this morning a memorial service in Nicosia conducted by Archbishop Crysostomos, in memory of those killed during the coup and the Turkish invasion.

The House of Representatives held an extraordinary meeting today to condemn the coup and the Turkish invasion, while all political parties and several organisations have issued statements condemning the twin crime against Cyprus.

In its statement, ruling right-wing DISI stressed that today is "a day of remembrance, mourning and unity" and speaks out against fanaticism, hatred and division.

"What we must learn from this tragic anniversary is the need for strict dedication to democratic principles and dialogue," it adds.

Left-wing AKEL stresses the need for respect to the memory of the people who died while protecting democracy and notes the responsibilities of Greek Cypriots, who participated in the coup.

"We must keep alive the memory of our heroic dead and carry on with our struggle against the Turkish occupation and for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus," it adds.

Centre-right DIKO calls for struggle to overthrow the consequences of the coup and the Turkish invasion and says the party is dedicated to democracy.

"We will continue to strongly defend the historic truth and will not accept direct or indirect recognition of the consequences of the 1974 twin crime against Cyprus," it adds.

Socialist EDEK condemns the coup, describing it as "an act of treason" and says it will never accept the "falsification of the truth and the distortion of history".

It calls for unity among the people and respect for democracy "so that we could open the road to overthrow the consequences of the twin crime".

The United Democrats say that the coup offers the opportunity for "speculation" and says "the truth must be said and the younger generations must be informed so that they will avoid a similar crime in the future".

On its part the New Horizons party notes the responsibilities of foreign governments in the 1974 events, noting that they incited civil strife and took advantage of the Greek junta and locals.

A series of events organised by various political parties and organisations began today to condemn the coup and the Turkish invasion and occupation.

CNA MA/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1410:CYPPRESS:06

[06] House of Representatives - Commemorative session

The junta toppled Makarios on July 15 and only five days later (July 20), using the protection of the Turkish Cypriots as a pretext, Turkey invaded Cyprus, occupying 37 per cent of its territory.

Turkey continues to maintain a 35.000-strong army in the island's northern third, in violation of numerous UN resolutions calling for the withdrawal of the occupation troops.

Opening the session, House President Spyros Kyprianou called for a minute's silence in memory of the people who lost their lives while protecting democratic principles and their homeland.

He said that 24 years after, the dire consequences of the Turkish invasion continue to exist, the whereabouts of the missing persons have not been ascertained and some 500 Greek Cypriots, who have stayed in the occupied areas, are trying hard to remain in their homeland.

Kyprianou called for an investigation into the events that led to the coup and the invasion, so that the younger generation knows what occurred.

He said that Cyprus, with Greece's support, will continue its struggle until a solution that safeguards security, peace, democracy and freedom is achieved.

Leader of ruling right-wing DISI party, Nicos Anastasiades, stressed the need for "the past to become a bridge for the future of Cyprus".

"To achieve this, we must search for the elements that unite us," he said, noting that history will judge the tragic events of the past.

Left-wing AKEL General Secretary, Dimitris Christofias, reiterated his party's determination to carry on with the struggle for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus and a solution based on UN resolutions.

Christofias called on the Turkish Cypriots to contribute in any way they can towards an independent, united and federal solution, noting "we have a common destiny".

Centre-right DIKO Parliamentary Spokesman, Tassos Papadopoulos, said that the Turkish invasion was part of Ankara's effort to create two ethnically clean areas in Cyprus.

"It was the first case of ethnic cleansing in the 20th century Europe," he added, noting that the people of Cyprus are prepared for a solution to be agreed upon.

Socialist EDEK party leader, Vasos Lyssarides said the coup was not only an act of treason but also had grave consequences, that can only be faced through the unity of the people.

"We must clearly set out our priorities, the first of which must be to end the occupation, ensure our security and the fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, of whatever ethnic background or religion," he added.

The President of the United Democrats party, George Vassiliou underlined that the whole truth about the coup must be said, adding that condemnation is not sufficient.

He also said the everyone must realise that the Cyprus problem can only be solved through the establishment of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, and stressed the need for cooperation with the UN for a settlement.

CNA KN/RG/MA/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

1420:CYPPRESS:07

[07] Seleznyov - S-300 - Cyprus - Turkey

This was stated by Russian State Duma (Lower House) speaker, Gennady Seleznyov, during a press conference at the Itar-Tass news agency.

According to Itar-Tass, Seleznyov said Cyprus is a "sovereign state. Hence, it has all rights to build its defence system."

He stressed the S-300 missile system "is purely defensive rather than offensive".

The Russian official called on those who object the sale of the system to Cyprus "not to meddle in others' affairs, as far as their national defence is concerned".

Seleznyov said Turkey is well aware of Russia's and the United Nations' position on the issue and said there are two countries which do not respect UN resolutions and decisions.

"These are Israel, in matters concerning its attitude to Palestinians, and Turkey, in matters concerning its attitude to Cyprus".

Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides returned Tuesday from Russia after a four-day visit. During a meeting with Russian President Boris Yeltsin it was reassured that the agreement concerning the missile system will be implemented.

The US, Turkey and other countries strongly object to the purchase of the system by Cyprus.

Seleznyov arrives in Turkey on Sunday for talks on economic cooperation and international issues.

He will meet President Suleiman Demirel and Parliament Speaker, Hikmet Cetin. The sale of the S-300 missile system to Cyprus is also expected to be discussed.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37 per cent of the island's territory.

CNA EC/GP/1998

ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

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